Back from Amsterdam and wanted to post a quick review. First, as far as the chain hotels go the Pulitzer is great--super location, much charm, and convenient. I do not want to harp on the negatives because we really did enjoy our stay, so here's the scoop.
The Stay:
We booked on SPG points and upgraded to an Exec Canal view for 75E a night. Before our trip we received an email offer to upgrade for 50E but that did not include breakfast--the 75E option did. Check in was easy, stayed in room 282 on the Keizersgracht side of the hotel ( a great recommendation as this is the quieter canal--less traffic). One thing I would do differently is immediately request a room on an upper floor. Being on the 2nd floor, we got a lot of banging and rumbling from outside.
Concierge:
Before arriving I had emailed with the Concierge about having flowers for my wife's birthday waiting in the room on arrival, it was confirmed but never done. Luckily the concierge on duty when I checked in arranged for a early delivery the next morning, but it was not something I wanted to deal with at 7am--esp in light of the confirmation email--annoying. We were also told that there would be a restaurant reservation itinerary waiting, but there was not. Only 2 of the 3 dinners had been booked and no one told us otherwise. Again, not the end of the world but annoying. The concierge on duty fixed the issue for us. They were helpful throughout. We bought museum tix here too, as we could charge it to the room and avoid lines there.
Meals:
B'fast at Pulitzer as good--usual American style buffet: breads and pastries, fruits, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, mushrooms, pancakes... They offer coffee, but if you ask you can get a cappuccino or other drink with no added expense. I think that breakfast cost around 30E pp if you were to pay. If I were not on a Bfast included plan, there was no way I would have paid 60E for the breakfast. There are a TON of very cool cafes and restaurants within a block or two where you can get a great meal. We at Le Garage (around 180E with wine, 2 salad, 2 entrees, 1 desert) which was very good, Toscanini--great Italian, about 80E with one glass wine, 2 salads, 2 pastas, 1 entree, 2 desserts, and Blue Pepper--great Indonesian Fusion, not 100% authentic but great food. If you want an all out Indo meal there are other super places, but if you want great food with style in an intimate atmosphere this is it.
The room:
The room looked over the Keizersgracht side canal. It was nice, a decent size (esp for A'dam), and in good shape. The baths are small and the hairdryers stored in the bedroom desk. My wife needed a power converter and the bellhop brought the big daddy converter pro within minutes, which we then used for the whole stay. The bed was cushy and comfortable. In the AMs there was a constant banging from under the hotel. We think that it was coming from the basement, but it rattled though the walls. Another reason to request a higher floor. The amenities left a lot to be desired. Soap, shampoo conditioner. That was it. Also, not only were they not replenished, but on a few occasions the maid took the ones we had away. Nothing worse than leaving the room at 7am looking for soap.
The upgrade:
Some argue that 70E is a lot to pay for an upgrade, and they may be right, but the configuration of the hotel is very unique. Many interior rooms do not face the gardens (which are pleasant) but back up to interior light shafts with elevator and hallway views. I do not know what level room that is, but for us (esp on an SPG stay) it was worth the $$ to guarantee against that happening.
Inside:
The hotel is quite nice inside. Some people were put off by the maze like interior (after all it is carved out of 25 old houses) but we really enjoyed exploring inside. It completely confused many of the old folks we saw. There are a lot of stairs, a lot of elevators, a lot of ramps leading to mid-floors. Not the typical hotel with straight halls.
The bar looked nice, but we could not justify hanging in the hotel when surrounded by such an amazing city. The gardens are very pleasant to sit in or walk through, though a few days they were overrun by smokers since it is a smoke free hotel.
Services:
We paid for the wireless internet (70E for 5 nights--ouch) because it had to be done for work. Moderately fast, but sometimes spotty. Made one local call for 20 minutes and it was 36E. Our fault--should have known better. We took the hotel boat "The Tourist" on a canal cruise. 38E a person and well worth it. It was worth it for us to be on the more intimate boat than one of the greyhound-style canal tour boats. Bought a bottle of wine on board for 20E.
Summary:
Overall we really enjoyed our stay. The cons of poor amenities and the miscommunications from the concierge were definitely problems. For a Lux Collection hotel, I wish they would work out those issues. But the pros were great--a location that cannot be beat, and a very interesting and unique set of buildings.